Flue-stopper



NITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

WILLIAM G. RAU, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

FLU E-STO PPER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 577,882, dated March 21897.

Application filed August 7, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. RAU, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlue-Stoppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in flue-stoppers and one object ofmy invention is the provision of a device by which the stopper is heldin the flue firmly and securely and which can be easily placed in theflue and removed therefrom, as the case may be.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a securing devicewhich can be easily detached or attached to the back of the stopper inorder that the stopper may be packed in number and make a compactbundle.

To attain the desired objects, the invention consists of a fiue-stopperembodying novel features of construction and combination of parts,substantially as disclosed herein.

Figure 1 represents aback plan View of a fluestopper with my improveddevice attached thereto. Fig. 2 represents a cross-sectional view of theflue-stopper, showing the manner of holding the stopper over theflue-opening in a chimney.

In the drawings, A designates the flue-stopper, which is made of anyordinary form, having formed on its back the'sleeves or hollow strips B,which are preferably stamped from the back of the stopper or solderedthereon and are parallel to each other. It is in the ends of thesestrips or sleeves that are placed the ends C of the bow-springs D, whichare formed with the coils E, so as to force the bows D outward againstthe side wall of the opening in the chimney, so that the stopper may beheld in place. The ends of the springs are easily Serial 110,602,044.(No model.)

held in place, as the bows are so made as to make the ends have atendency to spread apart, and as the strips or sleeves are so closetogether the ends of the springs are made very secure in them.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the dra wings,it will be readily seen and understood that I provide a very simple,durable, and inexpensive fastening device for flue-stoppers, as well asa very useful and practical one.

When the device is to be used, it is first put together by placing thetwo ends of each spring into the end of each sleeve or strip, and thenthe bows of the spring pushed or pressed toward each other until theyare close enough together to allow the springs to pass into thefine-opening in the chimney, when the fluestopper is pushed toward theopening until it is far enough or close up to the chimney. The springsthen press themselves outward and engage the side walls of the openingand securely hold the stopper in place.

I claim 1. As a new article of. manufacture a fine cap or stopper havingon the back thereof, two parallel-arranged eyes or sleeves and twobow-shaped wire spring-holders having coils near their lower ends andhaving said lower ends or terminals snugly fitting in the sleeves oreyes.

2. The combination with a fiue cap or stopper, of the bail-shaped wireholders arranged opposite to each other and having coils near theirinner ends and having their inner ends connected to the back of the capor stopper. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM G. RAU.

Witnesses:

CHAS. V. RAU, P. O. RAU.

